With the summer now upon us, many holidaymakers will be packing a suitcase or two for week-long holidays in the sun. However, some savvy Brits have realised that with Europe right on our doorstep, you can take advantage of cheap flights to explore a city and return home on the same day in time for bed.

Extreme day trips, or EDTs, as the trend has been dubbed, have emerged as a revolutionary new way to explore destinations. Fans have said that one-day overseas adventures deliver all the fun of a longer holiday, without the hassle of hotels, checked bags, or complex itineraries, all at a fraction of the cost. The trend has become so popular that more than 300,000 travellers have joined a Facebook group to share experiences.

Among them is Deborah Jackson, 49, who first stumbled across the EDT Facebook group last summer and finally plucked up the courage to make her first day trip in December. She loved the experience so much that she has set herself the challenge of visiting 50 cities by her 50th birthday on December 5. Now, nearly seven months into the year, Deborah is well over halfway, having visited 37 cities so far, with 34 trips in an impressive 22 countries. 

Deborah explained to the Express that old towns, walled cities, and quaint places have become her favourite places to visit: “It started with going to Lucca while on a day trip to Pisa. It was the first of its kind for me, so I had no expectations. I knew it would be pretty, but when my son and I walked from a modern part of Lucca through the wall itself into the old city, it instantly felt like stepping back in time.

“I’m no history buff, but I imagined what life was like to be there centuries before. It was made more special because this was just before Christmas, and there was a small Christmas market in one of the squares, which was more rural than the big international ones that many tourists flock to.

“We were amongst local people enjoying traditional delicacies (I bought half a kilo of sun dried tomatoes which nearly seven months later were still getting through!) but even without the market, we loved just wandering through the streets and lanes looking at lots of charming boutiques and having a hot choc sitting outside a cafe in the warm winter sun. I had an immense feeling of happiness there, I felt so relaxed.”

Deborah also named cities like Bergamo in Italy and Poland’s Gdansk as some of her top choices. However, it was Oslo that became her absolute favourite, which she explored in just seven and a half hours. 

“It happened to be a sunny day and that may have something to do with why I fell in love with Oslo,” Deborah explained. “The Fjords are so calming to look out on and with the sun shimmering on them. It just felt tranquil and serene.

“The Fjords were central to most things we did, starting with walking up to the top of the Opera house for the views. From up there we could see across the harbour something that turned out to be my son’s highlight of the day… Floating saunas followed by diving into the extremely cold Fjord to cool down!

“We opted to eat in a street food market, and then took a tram to Ekeburg sculpture park, located on a hill where Edvard Munch was inspired to paint ‘The Scream’. The views from up there were gorgeous, it was so peaceful, and the sculpture garden had some really interesting pieces.

They then took the tram back to the city centre where they walked around the harbour before heading to the Munch museum. Deborah originally planned to do a Fjord boat trip and another museum, but, on this occasion, time did not allow for it. As a result, Oslo has earned itself a place on Deborah’s growing list of cities to revisit. 

Deborah explained that due to price increases in the summer months, she currently only has three EDTs booked, “but it is possible to still find a last-minute bargain, so this will change, then I will be picking up the pace again from September.”

She plans to visit Bucharest Therme Spa, get to San Marino and back in a day (a feat that has yet to be managed by any other member in the Facebook group) and a short flight to Cork in Ireland. When she begins in earnest again in September, she said she would like to concentrate on cities in countries she has yet to visit first.

Deborah explained to the Express that while she loves holidays, she hates “planning all year and waiting for one big trip”: “This year in particular, we’ve actually chosen not to do a family holiday in favour of going on more day trips […] We’re all getting so much out of it that we’re not actually fussed by going on a longer holiday this year.”

The 49-year-old has shared some of her top tips for those considering jetting off on their own EDT. This includes making sure you choose the closest airport to your destination, a fact that catches many people out.